Bay PET recycling champions to be lauded for efforts: Quinette Goosen PORT ELIZABETH – JOB creation, innovation and poverty alleviation are just some of the major achievements by several Nelson Mandela Bay recycling initiatives, making a tangible difference at a grassroots level in communities. This is being celebrated by the PET Recycling Company (PETCO), the national recycling body for PET plastics, in the form of an “inspiration session” to be held in the Bay on November 21 (5-7pm). The two-hour event will honour several recycling initiatives in the city that are making strides not only in PET plastic recycling but also in uplifting communities. PETCO is encouraging members of the public to attend the event to learn more about the unique and life-changing initiatives taking place throughout the city. . “There are many incredible things happening on a daily basis in the recycling industry in South Africa, which are driven by a remarkable network of people,” said PETCO chief executive officer Cheri Scholtz. “These people deserve to be recognised and celebrated as innovative entrepreneurs, employers, and champions in their own right, who do good for the environment and their communities through the work they do in the recycling industry.” . Scholtz said the PETCO Inspiration Sessions were intended as a public platform for the organisation’s partners to share how they were working towards transforming the recycling sector. “We encourage the public to attend and hear from people who are passionate about PET recycling and its potential to change lives. You are guaranteed to look at it with new eyes – either as a consumer or as a would-be entrepreneur in the field.” Included in the line-up of speakers are Dr Tony Ribbink of the African Marine Waste Network, the Uitenhage Recycling Mula Swop-Shop’s Quinette Goosen, and Cannibal Recycling’s Leon van der Watt. Anyone interested in attending the event at Chicky’s Yard in Ellis Street, Baakens Valley, can RSVP by emailing PETCO at kara.levy@petco.co.za. Tickets cost R100 per person and include catering. PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS African Marine Waste Network – Dr Tony Ribbink Launching the evening’s programme will be PE-based environmental scientist Dr Tony Ribbink, who will be speaking on the topic of “Zero Plastics to the Seas of South Africa” and the plan to make the Bay the cleanest city in South Africa by 2021. “The … [Read more...]

Mary Phillips and The Waste Takers make waves with recycling in PE: Mary Phillips of The Waste Takers in Port Elizabeth is just one of the many entrepreneurs that PRASA has trained. Photo: Issi Abrahams for Paper Recycling Association of South Africa JOHANNESBURG, September 14, 2017: Ahead of National Recycling Day on September 15, the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa (PRASA) shares the story about Mary Phillips, an entrepreneur who saw value in paper waste and old telephone directories. Mary Phillips got involved in the recycling industry in September 2012, and after what has been a long and sometimes times difficult haul, she is beginning to see the fruits of her labour. It all began when she decided that she had had enough of the corporate world and chose to go into business on her own account. The avenue she selected was recycling and her product of choice was paper. “It’s a clean material and I could transport greater values by volume in my little car than if I went around collecting bottles and cans,” says Mary, who participated in the PRASA’s entrepreneurship training course in August 2016. She has made things happen in the Eastern Cape and while she believes that her best days are still to come, her start-up business currently provides employment for three permanent staff members, pays 10 collectors on a regular basis and is a source of income for up to 18 casual workers, as and when required. Determined “Recycling is much more profitable in Johannesburg and Cape Town where collectors can earn several times more that our people in the region; on the other hand, it does provide them with some form of income. “Another problem is that local financial institutions see recycling as a high-risk business which makes it difficult to finance the purchase of vehicles and specialised equipment necessary to make our business grow.” Less determined people than Mary might have given up long ago but she persevered, investigating business opportunities in and out of her home province. An association with Trudon Publishing, which produces the Yellow Pages, has resulted in the staging a highly successful school competition in the Eastern and Western Cape which sees learners collect and return tonnes of old directories. She plans to run similar campaigns on a national basis and believes that this and similar initiatives will lay the foundation not … [Read more...]